Chapter 417: smorz(1)
Chapter 417: smorz(1)
Just as I’d sent Montague flying with my fist a moment ago, I had reached my limit in playing the role of a Magical Girl.
“See that lady over there? She’s nicer than she looks, so go play with her for a bit.”
I attempted to foist The Child onto the person who was at least closest to being sane among the group present.
The Child seemed terrified, clutching my hand as if she never wanted to let go. However, she soon slowly moved away from me and walked toward Svetlana.
The warmth that had remained steady even in the cold night air faded from my hand. That sensation felt heavy, as if I were losing something important, but I soon realized it wasn't actually that significant a feeling.
Svetlana, now burdened with this new responsibility, shot me a look of pure annoyance. But as soon as The Child drew near, her usual half-dazed, blunt expression vanished, and her lips curled up ever so slightly as she looked down at the girl.
“…U-um… H-hello…”
The Child squeezed out her first greeting.
Svetlana stared intently at her, tilting her head slightly.
“…Ugh….”
Perhaps because Svetlana didn't react immediately, tears began to well up in The Child's eyes again.
“Stop.”
Seeing this, Svetlana pulled what looked like a disposable wet wipe from her pocket and began to wipe The Child’s face. She started from the tears pooling in her eyes and moved to the stains that tears alone couldn't wash away.
Her touch was surprisingly gentle.
Perhaps it was because of that new warmth touching her skin, but The Child stopped crying and surrendered herself to Svetlana’s blunt but caring hands.
Well, that takes care of that side.
Svetlana is a personality wreck who usually claims everything is a bother and says other people's lives aren't worth much compared to her own peace. However, she’s the type of person who advocates for human society and tries to uphold the social norms derived from it as much as possible.
If her own peace truly took precedence over all other values, she never would have fought in the wars of the old era as an Awakened, nor would she have refrained from using those powers to commit crimes. To put it bluntly, with her abilities, she could have pulled off one big score and been set for life.
I once asked her about it, and she claimed it was because life would become a "bother" if she got caught by someone with psychometry or postcognition.
Whether she truly believes that or was just giving a random excuse is hard to say, but the point is that she possesses basic human empathy. She might harm someone for work or if they’re an undeniable villain by social standards, but she isn't the kind of freak who would beat or kill an ordinary civilian just for being annoying.
Her current actions probably aren't out of genuine worry for The Child, either.
If The Kid cries, cleaning up the mess later will be more of a bother.
It is socially proper for an adult to look after a child.
This is part of the job, anyway.
It likely stemmed from thoughts like those. Or perhaps it really was just ordinary human sentiment. The important thing was that leaving The Child with Svetlana wouldn't lead to any major problems.
Of course, the fact remains that I only picked her because she was the best of a bad bunch. If Ultimate’s group were here right now, Svetlana wouldn't even have made the shortlist.
I’m 3rd, Ultimate is 2nd, A-bin is 1st, and Baek Si-hyun is 4th.
As for the rest of the lineup…
Montague, who I’d punched into a wall with a blindingly fast strike while The Kid’s head was turned, was out of the question; there’s no telling what he’d do to a child.
Brantley was out because who knows what kind of nonsense he’d spout in front of her.
Edward wasn't even here—likely because his legs hadn't healed yet—and while his humanity is probably intact, he isn't the "safe" type of person you’d entrust a child to. His pre-transformation appearance is quite intimidating, and his powers aren't suited for protection.
In the end, it was either me or Svetlana, and I was too mentally drained to keep this act up any longer.
Anyway, I’d figure out the specifics of The Child’s care later.
“Brantley.”
“Yes.”
“That child. What’s the verdict?”
The important thing was The Child’s current state. Based on her reactions and movements while I was leading her, she seemed like an ordinary child, but that wasn't enough to confirm she wasn't contaminated.
So, I waited for the expert, Brantley, to answer.
“Her mental state is severely depleted. It wouldn't be strange if she collapsed at any moment. Furthermore, she is suffering from extreme malnutrition. She might look fine on the outside, but internally…”
“No, not that.”
Brantley’s answer came immediately, but it wasn't the one I was looking for.
“Hmm. Then you mean her Awakened status? Yes, she is an Awakened. Likely an Esper by classification. I cannot determine her specific ability yet.”
“What?”
Where did that come from?
I should have been pointing out his use of the term "Awakened," but his words were so shocking that I found myself thinking, Is that really the most important issue right now?
“Oh? Did you bring her here without knowing?”
“How would I know? Things just happened, and I ended up bringing her along.”
But that wasn't the priority. Well, it was important, but it could wait.
“Anyway, what about the contamination?”
“Ah, that is not an issue. I don't sense even the slight contamination commonly found in the people around here within the range I can check.”
Right, well, that’s a relief.
Now, moving on to the next important point.
“An Esper?”
“Yes. However, the power I sense is very faint. D to C-Rank. Since her power doesn't seem stabilized yet, she will likely grow from here.”
Ha, unbelievable.
What kind of situation is this? In the midst of all this, she Awakened at such a young age?
I mean, sure, Awakening during a crisis is incredibly common. But why here, of all places, and why now?
“Haaaaaaah.”
This is going to be the death of me.
She might have gained power, but seeing as she couldn't overcome her situation, she clearly isn't the type who instinctively knows how to use her ability the moment she Awakens. And even if she did know, it’s certainly not a very Strong One.
The even bigger problem was the existence of the Management Bureau regulations that applied to this situation.
When a new Hero emerges, the top priority is to send them to the Management Bureau for registration and completion of the basic curriculum.
If it is confirmed that they used their power for any reason other than to fulfill their Story or for self-defense before registration has even occurred…
The parties involved in the incident, including the first person to discover them, are punished.
According to this rule, the target of punishment isn't the Hero. It’s everyone else involved, including the discoverer.
Of course, if the Hero themselves committed a wrong of their own volition, they would be punished under a different regulation. This specific rule was created to prevent the exploitation of a Hero’s power in places beyond the Bureau’s reach.
For example, let’s say there’s a cult, and someone within it Awakens. If the cult deceives the prospective Hero into thinking the power was granted by their god and then exploits that power…
This regulation exists to hunt down and punish those who instigated it and those who kept quiet despite knowing.
In the old era, there were countless people who exploited the Awakened in such a way, and even after the Bureau was established, it happens frequently enough that even civilians know the rule.
However, there is an exception clause.
If the situation is too urgent to transport them to the Management Bureau, the first discoverer or the personnel on-site can act as the responsible party and protect the Hero until the situation is resolved and safety is secured. Under their supervision, the Hero is permitted to use their power.
The original intent was a fail-safe to prevent everyone from dying while trying to follow the primary rule…
I mean, the intent is fine. But in this current situation, this damn rule has turned into the worst possible move.
According to that regulation, we either have to allocate extra personnel to escort The Child out, or we have to resolve this incident while dragging her along.
What a mess.
If she were around fifteen and knew how to use her power to protect herself, I’d find a way. But this?
No matter how I looked at it, she didn't even know how to use her power. She was so young I doubted she’d even started elementary school.
And the current situation? A top-tier emergency where a massive biohazard might break out at any moment.
And us, the first discoverers? A murky Assassination Team.
With only five members.
If we had a hundred people, I could spare five. But taking one out of five…
I had rescued The Child knowing it was a tactical loss, even after letting the other civilians go. My plan was to locate Ultimate and then have either myself or Svetlana take The Kid to him.
But now that she’s been confirmed as a Hero, someone has to escort her. Even if we sent her to Ultimate’s side, Han A-bin or Baek Si-hyun would have to be pulled away.
Even if we gave up on the escort, someone would have to protect her for two days until the Management Bureau Defense Force arrived.
The downside of operating as a small tactical unit was coming back to haunt us.
I could technically just ignore the regulations, but that wasn't the only problem.
Let’s set aside humanity for a moment and think strategically.
On one side of The Scales is one person; on the other is a massive biohazard. In this situation, one person doesn't carry enough weight to balance The Scales. Even if she’s a child who likely lost her parents, from a macroscopic perspective, she is just one person. Thus, cutting her loose might be the "correct" choice strategically and macroscopically.
But the moment you change "person" to "Hero," the story suddenly gets complicated.
If the Story’s final boss or group is the type that appears constantly, the moment the Hero dies, a massive Public Enemy Designation would be issued for Detroit.
Congratulations. The operation just blew up in our faces.
Of course, even if a Public Enemy was designated, it would likely be a weak entity matched to The Child’s power level. But what if the Story’s progression was based on explosive growth?
I mean, I’m human, so I had no intention of just abandoning a child like that anyway, but even from a macroscopic view, this had become a total disaster.
The world really is hell. As if the biochemical terror from mad scientists wasn't enough, things just had to get even more complicated.
“Fuuuuuu.”
Suppressing the urge for a single puff of cigarette smoke…
Click.
I bit into the notch of the metal rod I’d pulled from my pocket and spoke.
“When can Edward be deployed?”
“Thirty minutes.”
Thirty minutes. Then there won't be a major loss.
I had originally planned to assign a recovered Edward to guard Brantley, but I had no choice.
“I’ll leave Svetlana as your guard. Deploy Edward as soon as he’s recovered and secure Ultimate’s location. I’ll hand The Kid over to Ultimate as soon as the sun comes up.”
This was likely the most appropriate course of action in the current situation. There would be a slight loss in operational progress, but we wouldn't lose any team members, and any potential damage would be minimized.
As I spoke and moved to wake the unconscious Montague…
“…In my personal opinion, she seems to be in need of a psychological evaluation.”
Brantley threw those words at my back. Despite his black intentions, he still acted like a medical professional.
I looked toward Svetlana and The Child. Seeing the shadow cast over the girl’s face, I spoke.
“Proceed based on her condition. If she says she wants to sleep, make that the top priority. Svetlana must always be present during the evaluation. And finally.”
Thud.
I kicked off the ground, closing the distance to Brantley in an instant with high-speed movement. Looking up at him, I spoke.
“If you spout any of your personal opinions about death to that child, you’re dead today.”
If you say something like, “Is life difficult for you?” to a child who might have just lost her parents, you’ll find out exactly what my wrath feels like.
“I do have at least that much discretion, you know.”
Brantley gave a bitter smile at my threat.
“Why don't you try putting a hand over your heart and saying that?”
Though I doubt you have a conscience left to feel.